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Guest Commentary: May 19, 2001
Public Education: The Foundation for Democracy
The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison
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Thomas Jefferson said, from the very beginning of our Republic, that public education would be the foundation for democracy. That really set us apart from all the other countries in the world because at that time only the most elite were educated. It was only the children of dukes and duchesses around the world; it was only the elite who could afford private schools around the world. But that wasn't the foundation of America. The foundation for America was that every child would receive a quality public education so that child could reach his or her full potential and, of course, contribute to the great Nation that would become the United States of America.
It has been proven time and time again that the creativity that comes from having every child in our country educated has put us in the forefront of technology, of space exploration, of medical research, of quality health care. It goes on and on and on.
In the last 10 to 15 years in our country, we have lost the battle that every child would receive a quality public education. Today, this week, this year, Congress and the President are saying: No more. No more are we going to allow some children to waste away in schools that are not performing and lose that potential, that productive citizen for our country.
We are going to reform public education. We are going to put more money into it. But there is a wonderful chart that the Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, has shown us that actually reflects that we have increased spending in public education, and the figure has gone up for the past 25 years. But, in fact, the test scores have straight-lined -- even gone a little bit down.
Well, that doesn't work. Pouring more money into it without giving our parents and teachers and principals and school districts and our States the opportunity to get in and help each individual child with that child's learning needs doesn't work. It doesn't work to pour more money in if we don't give them the tools they need to do the job. That is why we are focused on accountability, on letting parents know what the test scores are.
I visited Stonewall Jackson Elementary School in Dallas, Texas. I saw the formula for an excellent school. This is a school that is just in a regular middle-class neighborhood that also includes children who are deaf and have learning disabilities--a very diverse student body. Those children have a spark and creativity for several reasons. They also have the highest test scores. But they have the creativity and the spark because they have a principal who welcomes parental involvement. They have a PTA that has teams. They have a men's group. It is like a men's group at church, and that men's group comes into the public school and helps plant gardens, paint things when the paint is peeling, and it is not on the list to fix right away. They are raising money to install security systems. They are raising money to make sure the library is totally stocked. They are involved in their school, and they are welcome in the classrooms any time.
So you have the leadership of a principal, you have parents who are involved, and they have made it fun to be involved, and they are improving the school. That creates a spark in the teachers. Senator Gramm and I walked into that elementary school, and it was all decorated as a Caribbean island. We asked, "Why are we seeing trees and monkeys in this elementary school?" It is because they adopt a country every year, and this year it is the Caribbean islands. Last year it was Spain. They adopt a country and they talk about that country and they learn about the language and the customs. They have learned something that gives them a new look at life.
I am happy that we are focusing on public education. ...The overview is, we are going to reform our public schools so that every child in America can reach his or her full potential with a public education.
Note: This column has been adapted from a speech Sen. Hutchison delivered on the floor of the Senate, May 1, 2001.
 How to contact Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
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